Workshops Scheduled for Rutland for Food Producers and Processors

Rutland--Food producers and processors are invited to attend two different workshops in Rutland on June 11 designed to help them better understand food safety regulations and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

The workshops, offered by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension in collaboration with the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL), will be held in the third-floor conference room at the RAFFL Office, 67 Merchants Row. Individuals are welcome to attend one or both workshops, but must register for each separately. Dr. Londa Nwadike, UVM Extension food safety specialist, will teach both sessions.

The Food Safety Regulations for Food Producers and Processors workshop, scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon, will help small-scale food processors understand current federal (U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture) and Vermont food regulations for all types of food products, including low-acid, acidified and high-acid foods. In addition, it will cover the proposed FDA Food Safety Modernization Act rules and the steps, including the necessary paperwork, to obtain a scheduled process, which ensures the safe production of canned, shelf-stable food products. The fee is $10.

The afternoon workshop, which costs $15 to attend, will offer an introduction to HACCP. Producers and processors will learn about prerequisite programs; how to conduct a hazard analysis, identify critical control points and monitor procedures and establish critical limits and corrective actions. Verification and record keeping procedures also will be discussed.

Registrations will be accepted online until June 9. To register for the food safety regulations workshop go to http://foodregsr.eventbrite.com. Register for the HACCP workshop at http://haccprutland.eventbrite.com. Anyone requiring a disability-related accommodation for either or both sessions, please call Rose Crossley at (802) 223-2389, ext. 201, by May 21.

The workshops also are open to food producers and processors from neighboring states. Although some of the regulatory information is specific to Vermont, much of it is applicable in other states.